संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 4091 of 4582

Abhanga 4091

Knowledge without lived experience means little, so practice disciplined living and keep your own mind under control until you reach steadier ground.

When you realize you understand something in theory but haven't actually practiced or lived it

When you feel your senses pulling you toward indulgence you'll later struggle to rein back in

When your confidence feels shaky and easily knocked off course by small setbacks or criticism

The verse

देखीचें तें ज्ञान करावें तें काई । अनुभव नाहीं आपणासी ॥१॥ इंद्रियांचे गोडी ठकलीं बहुतें । सोडितां मागुतें आवरेना ॥ध्रु.॥ युक्तीचा आहार नीतीचा वेव्हार । वैराग्य तें सार तरावया ॥२॥ नाव रेवाळितां घाला घाली वारा । तैसा तो पसारा अहंतेचा ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे बुद्धि आपुले अधीन । करी नारायण आतुडे तों ॥४॥

Literal translation

Dēkhīchē-jñāna — what-good-without-anubhava. Indriya-gōḍī-cheats — release-can't-control. Yukti-āhāra-nīti-vēvhāra — vairāgya-sāra-cross. Boat-shoved-by-wind — pasara-of-ahantā. Tukā: buddhi-under-own-control — till-Nārāyaṇa-attained.

What it means

A 4-verse practical-vairāgya text. What good is seen-jñāna without your own experience? The indriyas' sweetness has cheated many — once released, you can't control it back. Yukti-regulated food, nīti-correct dealings, vairāgya is the essence for crossing. As a boat in shallow water is shoved by the wind, so is the sprawl of ahantā. Keep the buddhi under your own control — till you bring Nārāyaṇa within reach. The image nāva-rēvāḷitām-vārā-ghālā (a boat in shallow-water shoved by wind) — ego/pride is the wind that destabilizes a boat in unsteady-water.

For someone today

Tukaram says that knowledge you've only seen or heard about is worth little unless you've actually lived and experienced it yourself. Once you let your senses chase their favorite pleasures, that craving often becomes very hard to rein back in. So he recommends practical discipline instead: eat with reason and moderation, deal with others fairly and honestly, and let detachment be the real core of your effort to rise above difficulty. He compares an unsteady ego to a boat in shallow water, easily pushed off course by even a light wind, so the real work is keeping your own mind under your own control until you reach a steadier ground.

मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की केवळ ऐकलेले किंवा वाचलेले ज्ञान फारसे उपयोगी नसते, जोपर्यंत तुम्ही ते स्वतः अनुभवले नाही. एकदा इंद्रियांना त्यांच्या आवडत्या सुखांच्या मागे जाऊ दिले की, ती हाव नंतर आवरणे खूप कठीण होते. त्यामुळे ते व्यावहारिक शिस्तीचा सल्ला देतात: विचारपूर्वक आणि मोजके खावे, इतरांशी प्रामाणिकपणे आणि योग्य रीतीने वागावे, आणि अडचणींवर मात करण्याच्या प्रयत्नाचा खरा गाभा विरक्ती असावी. ते अस्थिर अहंकाराची तुलना उथळ पाण्यातील होडीशी करतात, जी थोड्याशाही वाऱ्याने सहज भरकटते, त्यामुळे खरे काम हे आहे की तुम्ही स्थिर जमीन गाठेपर्यंत स्वतःच्या मनावर स्वतःचे नियंत्रण ठेवावे.

Where this applies

When you know something intellectually but haven't actually put it into practice or lived it yet
When a small indulgence of the senses starts to spiral and becomes hard to rein back in
When you need practical daily discipline in eating and dealing with others rather than lofty ideas
When your ego feels shaken and unsteady by small setbacks, like a boat easily pushed by a light wind

Autobiographical